Recording apparatus and transport method

Abstract

A recording apparatus of this invention includes a head; a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction with respect to the head, according to a target transport amount to be targeted; a memory that stores a plurality of correction values associated with a relative position of the head and the medium; and a controller that controls the transport mechanism based on the target transport amount that has been corrected, after correcting the target transport amount based on correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, and which include the correction value according to the relative position when transporting by the target transport amount.

1. A recording apparatus comprising:
 a head; 
 a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction with respect to the head, according to a target transport amount; 
 a memory that stores a plurality of correction values associated with a relative position of the head and the medium; and 
 a controller that controls the transport mechanism based on the target transport amount that has been corrected, after correcting the target transport amount based on correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, and which include the correction value according to the relative position when transporting by the target transport amount; 
 wherein each correction value is associated with a range of the relative position to be applied with that correction value, and 
 the controller corrects the target transport amount by assigning weights to the correction value according to a ratio of a range of the relative position that changes when transporting by the target transport amount to the range of the relative position to be applied with the correction value. 
 
   
   
     2. A recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein each correction value is associated with a range of the relative position to be applied with that correction value, and 
 in a case where the range of the correction value corresponding to the relative position before transport is exceeded when transporting by the target transport amount, the controller corrects the target transport amount, based on the correction value corresponding to the relative position before transport and the correction value corresponding to the relative position after transport. 
 
   
   
     3. A recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the transport mechanism has a transport roller, and transports the medium in the transport direction by rotating the transport roller, 
 each correction value is determined based on a transport error when transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by one rotation, and 
 a range of the relative position to be applied with the correction value corresponds to a transport amount when transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation. 
 
   
   
     4. A recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the transport mechanism has a transport roller, and transports the medium in the transport direction by making the transport roller rotate, 
 before the correction value is stored in the memory, the controller
 prints a first pattern on a medium, 
 prints a second pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern, 
 prints a third pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern, and 
 prints a fourth pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the second pattern, 
 
 the memory stores a first correction value that has been determined based on the first pattern and the third pattern, and a second correction value that has been determined based on the second pattern and the fourth pattern, 
 after the correction values have been stored in the memory, the controller
 transports a medium by correcting the target transport amount based on the first correction value, when a relative position of the medium with respect to the transport roller is in a predetermined range between the relative position at the time of printing the first pattern and the relative position at the time of printing the third pattern, and 
 transports a medium by correcting the target transport amount based on the second correction value, in a state where a transport roller has been made to rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from when a relative position of a medium with respect to the transport roller is in the predetermined range. 
 
 
   
   
     5. A recording apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the first pattern to the fourth pattern are formed using a same nozzle among a plurality of nozzles that move in the movement direction. 
 
   
   
     6. A recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the controller determines whether or not to perform correction of the target transport amount based on the correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, based on a print mode that has been selected. 
 
   
   
     7. A transport method that transports a medium by correcting a target transport amount based on a correction value, the transport method comprising:
 storing in advance in a memory a plurality of correction values each associated with a relative position of the head and the medium; 
 correcting a target transport amount based on correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, and which include the correction value according to the relative position when transporting by the target transport amount; and 
 transporting the medium based on the target transport amount that has been corrected; 
 wherein each correction value is associated with a range of the relative position to be applied with that correction value, and 
 the correcting the target transport amount comprises assigning weights to the correction value according to a ratio of a range of the relative position that changes when transporting by the target transport amount to the range of the relative position to be applied with the correction value. 
 
   
   
     8. A transport method according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein a transport mechanism transports the medium based on the target transport amount that has been corrected, the transport mechanism has a transport roller, and transports the medium in the transport direction by making the transport roller rotate, 
 the transport method further comprising: 
 before storing the correction value in the memory, 
 printing a first pattern on a medium, 
 printing a second pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern, 
 printing a third pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern, and 
 printing a fourth pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the second pattern, 
 storing a first correction value that has been determined based on the first pattern and the third pattern, and a second correction value that has been determined based on the second pattern and the fourth pattern, 
 after the correction values have been stored in the memory, 
 transporting a medium by correcting the target transport amount based on the first correction value, when a relative position of the medium with respect to the transport roller is in a predetermined range between the relative position at the time of printing the first pattern and the relative position at the time of printing the third pattern, and 
 transporting a medium by correcting the target transport amount based on the second correction value, in a state where a transport roller has been made to rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from when a relative position of a medium with respect to the transport roller is in the predetermined range. 
 
   
   
     9. A transport method according to  claim 8 ,
 P wherein the first pattern to the fourth pattern are formed using a same nozzle among a plurality of nozzles that move in the movement direction. 
 
   
   
     10. A transport method that transports a medium after correcting a target transport amount based on a correction value, the transport method comprising:
 calculating a plurality of first correction values each associated with a relative position of the head and the medium; 
 storing in a memory second correction values each associated with a target transport amount, by calculating the second correction values, with respect to each target transport amount of a plurality of target transport amounts set in advance, based on the first correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, and which include the first correction value according to the relative position when transporting by that target transport amount; 
 correcting the target transport amount based on the second correction value corresponding to the target transport amount, when transporting by that target transport amount; and 
 transporting the medium based on the target transport amount that has been corrected; 
 wherein each of the first correction values are associated with a range of the relative position to be applied with that first correction value, and 
 the correcting the target transport amount comprises assigning weights to the first correction value according to a ratio of a range of the relative position that changes when transporting by the target transport amount and the range of the relative position that is to be applied with the correction value, and calculating the second correction value. 
 
   
   
     11. A recording apparatus according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein each first correction value is associated with a range of the relative position to be applied with that first correction value, and 
 in the case where the range of the first correction value corresponding to the relative position before transporting is exceeded when transporting by the target transport amount, the controller calculates the second correction value, based on the first correction value corresponding to the relative position before transporting and the first correction value corresponding to the relative position after transporting. 
 
   
   
     12. A transport method according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the transport mechanism has a transport roller, and transports the medium in a transport direction by making the transport roller rotate, 
 each first correction value is determined based on a transport error when transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate once, and 
 the range of the relative position to be applied with the first correction value corresponds to a transport amount when transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation. 
 
   
   
     13. A transport method according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the transport mechanism has a transport roller, and transports the medium in the transport direction by making the transport roller rotate, the method further comprising: 
 when calculating the first correction value:
 printing a first pattern on a medium; 
 printing a second pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern; 
 printing a third pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern; 
 printing a fourth pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the second pattern; and 
 calculating a certain first correction value based on the first pattern and the third pattern, and calculating a different first correction value based on the second pattern and the fourth pattern, and 
 
 when calculating the second correction value:
 calculating the second correction value with respect to a certain target transport amount based on the certain first correction value, when a relative position of a medium with respect to the transport roller when transporting a medium by the certain target transport amount is in a predetermined range between the relative position at the time of printing the first pattern and the relative position at the time of printing the third pattern, and 
 calculating the second correction value with respect to a different target transport amount based on the different first correction value, in a state that the transport roller is rotated by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from when a relative position of a medium with respect to the transport roller when transporting a medium by that target transport amount is in the predetermined range. 
 
 
   
   
     14. A transport method according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the first pattern to the fourth pattern are formed using a same nozzle of a plurality of nozzles that move in the transport direction. 
 
   
   
     15. A transport method according to  claim 10 , further comprising the step of determining whether or not to perform correction of the target transport amount based on the second correction value based on a print mode that has been selected. 
   
   
     16. A recording apparatus comprising:
 a head; 
 a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction with respect to the head, according to a target transport amount; and 
 a controller that controls the transport mechanism based on the target transport amount that has been corrected, after correcting the target transport amount, with second correction values calculated based on first correction values, which are in number according to a size of the target transport amount, and which include the first correction value associated with a relative position of the head and the medium when transporting by the target transport amount; 
 wherein each of the first correction values are associated with a range of the relative position to be applied with that first correction value, and 
 the controller assigns weights to the first correction value according to a ratio of a range of the relative position that changes when transporting by the target transport amount and the range of the relative position that is to be applied with the correction value, and calculates the second correction value. 
 
   
   
     17. A recording apparatus according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein the transport mechanism has a transport roller, and transports the medium in the transport direction by making the transport roller rotate, 
 when calculating the first correction value, the controller 
 prints a first pattern on a medium, 
 prints a second pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern, 
 prints a third pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the first pattern, and 
 prints a fourth pattern after transporting the medium by making the transport roller rotate by a rotation amount of one rotation from a rotating position of the transport roller at the time of printing the second pattern, 
 calculates a certain first correction value based on the first pattern and the third pattern, and calculates a different first correction value based on the second pattern and the fourth pattern, 
 when calculating the second correction value, the controller 
 calculates the second correction value with respect to a certain target transport amount based on the certain first correction value, when a relative position of a medium with respect to the transport roller when transporting a medium by the certain target transport amount is in a predetermined range between the relative position at the time of printing the first pattern and the relative position at the time of printing the third pattern, and 
 calculates the second correction value with respect to a different target transport amount based on the different first correction value, in a state that the transport roller is rotated by a rotation amount of less than one rotation from when a relative position of a medium with respect to the transport roller when transporting a medium by that target transport amount is in the predetermined range. 
 
   
   
     18. A recording apparatus according to  claim 17 ,
 wherein the first pattern to the fourth pattern are formed using a same nozzle of a plurality of nozzles that move in the transport direction.